Record Number of Delegates Turn Out for ATF Workshop

The Asian Tennis Federation’s two-day administrators workshop began at the Dara Airport Hotel in Phnom Penh yesterday morning with a record 40 delegates from 25 member nations taking part in the day’s deliberations, which included presentations by the ATF/ITF officers on how best to handle administrative challenges. Supporting the workshop as sponsors were ABA Bank, and the hotel venue, Dara Airport Hotel.

The workshop is an annual event which aims to educate administrators on various programmes being offered by the continental and world governing bodies to develop tennis in their own countries.

The executive director of the ATF, Manpreet Khandari, who is directing the workshop, joined the gathering in congratulating Cambodia on receiving the International Tennis Hall of Fame award last month. She said it was a mark of Cambodia’s growing stature in the region that this workshop had attracted the largest number of participants ever.

In his welcome address, the secretary-general of Tennis Cambodia, Tep Rithivit said: “With our growing federation it is a challenge but at the same time a privilege to be able to host fellow administrators trying to promote the game of tennis. To organise it here is even more special.”

He hoped the information and knowledge gained during the workshop would benefit administrators in running the affairs of their own federations more efficiently so that the region as whole could gain from its impact.

The formulation of an Asian forum of discussion for the development of tennis in the region will be taken up during the working sessions.

This forum serves to create awareness among member nations of new changes and help educate the administrators in operational areas of tournament planning and applications with the ITF and ATF, for juniors, professionals, and seniors, as well as other events and tournaments.

During the day, presentations were also made by ITF development officer Amir Borghei and Frank Couraud from the ITF Development Department.